​The importance of occlusal force measurement in orthognathic surgery - A pilot study

Purpose: This pilot investigation was designed to apply several, newly developed and more sophisticated methods of measuring muscle structure and function in a situation where adaptation of muscle is pivotal to the success of a therapeutic approach. Materials and Methods: Patients attending the combined orthodontic/orthognathic surgery clinic at the Clitrofa – Centro Médico, Dentário e Cirúrgico, in Trofa - Portugal were tested according to the protocol of Bite force and occlusal contact area were simultaneously measured with Bite Training Machine and Occlusal Force Diagnostic System. An Experimental design used for the measurement of occlusal force. The study involved the contribution of two independent examiners that measured the bite pressure (psi) in five different FSS sensors at three different time moments. A combination of different parametric tests has been used to compare the different experimental variables. Results: Neither the variation of examiner, nor the variations of time have shown to influence the bite pressure (psi). In contrast, the occlusal force measurement system developed has shown a high level of sensitivity due to the distribution of the five FSS sensors in the horseshoe-shaped form. A three-pressure region model fits the experimental data shown in this study, comprising a low-pressure region located in the anterior part of the dental arch, a medium-pressure region in the medial part of the dental arch and an high-pressure region located in the posterior part of the dental arch. Conclusions: The piezoelectric sensors used in the present study have shown high reproducibility of measurement. Due to the recent miniaturization of FSS sensors, the authors are developing new occlusal force measurement systems comprising a higher number of piezoelectric sensors, with the objective of attaining even higher sensitivity of measurement throughout the different region of the dental arches.